264 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



AUCIU.ST 



1908. 



EDITORIAL NOTICES. 



Letters and matter for publication, as well as all 

 specimens for naming, should be addressed to the 

 Commissioner, Imperial Department of Agriculture, 

 Barbados. 



All applications for Copies of tiie ' Agricultural 

 News' should be addressed to the Agents, and not to 

 the Department. 



Local Agents: Messrs. Bow en & Sons, Bridge- 

 town, Barbados. London Agents: Messrs. Dulan & 

 Co., 37, Soho Square, W., and The West India Com- 

 mittee, 15, Seething Lane, E.G. A complete list of 

 Agents will be found on })age 'A of the cover. 



The Agricultural Krws: Price \d. per number, 

 post free 2d. Annual subscription payable to Agents, 

 2,s. 2d. Post free, 4*. 4f/. 



glgriculturut ^xm 



Vol. VIL SATURDAY, AUGUST i>2, 1908. No. l^b. 



NOTES AND COMMENTS. 



Contents of Present Issue. 



The editorial deals with the chief points that 

 should receive careful attention in the cultivation of 

 Sea Island Cotton in the West Indies. 



A review of the cane crop return of Trinidad for 

 the past season, both from estates and from the lands 

 of cane farmers, is given on page ^.hi). 



The methods followed in the cultivation of banan; 

 by the best {)lanters in Cuba are described on 

 2()0. 



page 



A favourable report on the (pialily of tobacco 

 produced at St. Kitt's has been received from an expert 

 in London, who is willing to recommend the purchase 

 of a large quantity of the tobacco, if available, for use 

 in the British Navy (p. 2()1 ). 



Cotton Notes (page 2(i2) include market reports, 

 a note on the Cotton Conference at Manchester, and 

 a brief article on the cultivation of leguminous crops 

 on cotton land. 



The concluding portion of Mr. Ballou's article 

 dealing with the Coleoptera or beetles is given on 

 page 206. 



A list of books recommended for the use of cai di- 

 dates, who propose to enter for the c )urses of re.i('ii»g 

 and examination in Practical Agriculture, of w hich 

 details were lately published by the Imperial Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture, will be found on page 207. 



Sugar Imports into India. 



India pioiluees f.ir more cane sugar than any other 

 single country in the woild, but notwithstanding this, 

 the annual ciop f-ills far short of the amount needed to 

 sup[)ly the home demand, and during 1907-8 no less 

 than 559,000 tons of sugar, valued at £0,151,000, were 

 imported into India. 



Java is the principal source of supply, and in the 

 past ye:ir furnished ()3 per cent, of the sugar imports, 

 while Mauritius provided a luither 2.S per cent. During 

 the past four years the iuqwris of sugar from Java and 

 Mauritius into India have increased from 197,050 tons 

 to 427,550 tons. In the same period the sup|ilies of 

 beet sugar from Europe, drawn almost entirely from 

 Austria and Germany, have fallen from So.cSOO tons to- 

 39,700 tons. 



Praedial Larceny in British Guiana. 



I'raedi.il larceny, or the theft of growing .-icrri- 

 cultural crops, is giving a great deal of trouble in 

 various paits of tlje West Indies — notably in Jamaica 

 and British Guiana. Steps are being taken in Jamaica 

 to deal in a drastic w,iy with the evil, and an amend- 

 ment to the Summary Conviction Offences Ordinance' 

 of 1893 is about to be introduced into the Court of 

 Policy of British Guiana for a similar purpose. 



According to this amendment any person who 

 steals or destroj-s, or attempts to steal or destroy, any 

 cacao, cocoa-nuts, coffee, bananas, yams, sweet potatos, 

 etc., shall be liable to a penalty of not less than 825, 

 or imprisonment for one month, and not more than 

 if 250, or imprisonment for three months. 



Further, in addition to the above penalties, it 

 is provided that in parts of the colony where praedial 

 larceny is at any time especially prevalent, the Governor- 

 in-(.V)uncil may declare these to be ' proclaimed 

 districts,' and otf'endsrs within these districts ,-ire liable 

 also to be whi|)ped 



Agricultural Shows at Trinidad. 



The report lately ])resented by a Select Committee 

 of the Agricultural Society of Trinid.ul apjjointed to 

 consider the <juestion of agricultural shows in the 

 colony, should be encouraging to those who have 

 advocated the extension of Peasant Proprietors' and 

 School Shows. 



In the past th<' Agricultural Society has devoted 

 the sum of i?250 per annum to be awarded in ])rizes at 

 the local exhibitions. This sum has been administered 

 under the auspices of the Education Department of 

 the colony, and with very approved results. Owing to 

 the interest taken in these local shows the Select 

 (Jommittee recommend that the amount of the Acri- 

 eultural Society's grant be increa.sed to .?1,000 for the 

 five shows to be held res]iectively at Port-ofSpaiii, 

 Arima, Princes' Town, San Fernando and Scarborough. 

 It is also advised that the exhibitions sht)uld take place 

 in January or Febl'uary. 



At these exhibitions prizes will be given not only 

 for fruit, vegetabUvs and live stock, but awards will also 

 be made to cane farmers, and for well-kept cottage 

 vegetable and flower gardens. 



